Beltway BUzz

Washington, DC, is a busy place with a lot of moving parts. Beltway BUzz provides updates on Congressional and federal agency activities, announces key federal personnel changes, highlights grant solicitations, and features the many BU faculty and staff who participate in Washington activities.

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NASA Leader; College Costs; Thought Leadership

BU IN DC School of Public Health (SPH) Dean Adnan Hyder and members of the SPH community attended the 2025 American Public Health Association Meeting & Expo between November 2nd and 5th. Dean Hyder also hosted an Alumni & Friends reception on November 3rd. Senior Vice President and General Counsel Erika Geetter participated in the... More

ARPA-H; Defense Workshop; Social Sciences and Humanities

BU IN DC President Melissa Gilliam met with Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) on October 28th. She also attended the Association of American Universities (AAU) Fall Membership Meeting from October 26th to 28th. Wheelock College of Education & Human Development Dean Penny Bishop joined the AAU Deans of Education Annual Meeting on October 27 and 28th. Jennifer... More

Defense Policy; ED; Parkinson’s Disease

BU IN DC Dean Natalie McKnight of the College of General Studies met with Washington-area alumni during an October 7th stop on her farewell tour.  Kevin Gallagher, Marina Zucker-Marques, Cecilia Springer, Gregory Chin, and Marilou Uy of the Global Development Policy Center hosted and attended a panel discussion, book launch, and other events during the... More

Higher Ed Compact; AI and Life Sciences; DARPA

BU IN DC Brian Walsh of the College of Engineering met with Congressional offices during the Save NASA Science Day of Action, organized by the American Geophysical Union, The Planetary Society, and other organizations on October 6th. Noel Vest of the School of Public Health spoke about substance use and mental health... More

Shutdown; Visa Proposal; R&D Priorities

BU IN DC Leslie Dietiker of Wheelock College of Education & Human Development participated in the American Educational Research Association Consortium of University and Research Institutions Fall Policy Conference from September 28th to 30th. Karen Jacobs, Emily Rothman, and doctoral students from Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences met with multiple Congressional offices during the... More

College Pricing; Energy Science; PCORI

BU IN DC Megan Bair-Merritt of the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine participated in the Rally for Medical Research and discussed investments in the National Institutes of Health with Congressional offices on September 18th.  HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE ON COLLEGE PRICING The House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development held a hearing titled "No More... More

Defense Policy; McMahon on Higher Ed; Global Security

BU IN DC President Melissa Gilliam met with Senator Todd Young (R-IN) and Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA) on Capitol Hill on September 9th. They discussed the partnership between universities and the federal government, the future of the life sciences, and the University's Living Our Values Initiative. Provost Gloria Waters attended the Association... More

NIH Budget; Grantmaking Executive Order; ED Under Secretary

BU IN DC Kevin Outterson of CARB-X and the School of Law met with Office of Management and Budget officials to discuss antimicrobial resistance on August 21st. HOUSE SIGNALS SUPPORT FOR NIH, PELL GRANTS, AND DOE SCIENCE On Tuesday, a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee advanced a bill... More

NIH Budget; CDC Leader; NSF TIP

BU IN DC Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer Nicole Tirella, Vice President & Chief Information Officer Chris Sedore, and Associate Vice President for Internal Audit & Advisory Services Marion Candrea attended the National Association of College and University Business Officers 2025 Annual Meeting from July 26th to 29th. SENATE COMMITTEE APPROVES NIH... More

NEH & NEA Budgets; AI Action Plan; Military Health Symposium

BU IN DC Ahmad "Mo" Khalil of the College of Engineering explained his research to Congressional staff who toured the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) at the National Institutes of Health on July 21st. CONGRESS OPPOSES ADMINISTRATION'S PLAN TO ELIMINATE  CULTURAL AGENCIES The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a spending bill yesterday that would... More